Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the
symbol in each box.

Welcome to Am I Infected

Welcome to the "Am I Infected?" POZ forum.

New members -- those who have posted three or fewer messages -- are permitted to post questions and responses, free of charge (make them count!). Ongoing participation in the "Am I Infected?" forum -- posting more than three questions or responses -- requires a paid subscription.

A seven-day subscription is $9.99, a 30-day subscription is $14.99 and a 90-day subscription is $24.99.

Anyone who needs to post more than three messages in the "Am I Infected?" forum -- including past, present and future POZ Forums members -- will need to subscribe, with secure payments made via PayPal.

There will be no charge to continue reading threads in the "Am I Infected?" forum, nor will there be a charge for participating in any of the Main Forums; Meds, Mind, Body & Benefits; and Off Topic Forums. Similarly, all POZ pages, including our "HIV Transmission and Risks" and "Am I Infected? (A Guide to Testing for HIV)" basics, will remain accessible to all.

NOTE: HIV testing questions will still need to be posted in the "Am I Infected?" forum; attempts to post HIV symptoms or testing questions in any other forums will be considered violations of our rules of membership and subject to time-outs and permanent bans.

To learn how to upgrade your Forums account to participate beyond three posts in the "Am I Infected?" Forum, please click here.

Thank you for your understanding and future support of the best online support service for people living with, affected by and at risk for HIV.

As with many sexual activities the risk if one wants to call it that is only in theory as is almost any activity theoretically risky. In the real world transmission never happens through fingering and you aren't going to make history by becoming the first to be infected in that manner.

I think I am going crazy... =[... Ever since I was fingered I can't calm down and i keep looking for symptoms. I had a sore throat and that went away. Now i think that my lymph nodes are swollen... Is this HIV?

Not one person has ever become infected with hiv through being fingered and you will NOT be the first.

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL STIs together. To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with a sexually transmitted infection.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can make sure your fella is using them properly. While you're on either of those pages, have a look through the bottom three links in the left-hand column. They discuss ways that you, as a woman, can protect yourself. I recommend the female condom as they are also excellent barriers against hiv infection, and importantly, they give YOU the control over condom use. They can even be put in place in advance so you're not fumbling around at the crucial moment. They're fiddly to use at first, but if you can put a tampon in, you can use these. It gets easier with practice. Give them a try.

Please also read through the Welcome Thread and follow the link to the Transmission lesson.

You did NOT have a risk of hiv infection. Make sure condoms are being used for intercourse and you won't have a risk in the future either. Use condoms and avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Okay thanks so much Ann for the quick response and you definately put my mind at ease. And i think my lymph nodes did actually swell because i was always touching them and stuff to see if they were swollen or not...

If you are a sexually active adult, yes, of course you should test as a matter of routine. Everyone should because it's the only way to accurately know your status. However, if being fingered is the most sexually advanced thing you've ever done, then you really don't need to test for hiv because fingering will NOT put you at risk of hiv infection.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

How about you read through the Welcome Thread and follow the Transmission Lesson link? Your question is answered there.

Kissing is not a risk because saliva is not infectious. Read the Transmission Lesson so you know what is and what isn't a risk.

And please, re-read your thread. OK?

Other sites sometimes have hidden agendas - such as religious ones. Some don't bother to keep up on current transmission research. Some just seem to get their kicks out of frightening people. Here at AIDSmeds.com you ONLY get the real deal. Most of us who answer in this forum live with hiv every day of our lives. We have a vested interest in knowing what is risky and what isn't. We give advice from the perspective of experience coupled with reading and understanding the transmission studies published in current, first-tier, peer-reviewed scientific/medical journals.

We want everyone to not only know their status, but we also want people to stay hiv negative. You get the real deal here.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Oh okay thank you very much =]...You have helped me so much Ann and now I can actually calm down and stop thinking that every little itch or sore throat or something like that is a sign that I have HIV...

Hi I have another question... for the symptoms of HIV do they all come at once or does like a sore throat first appear then swollen lymph nodes after the sore throat goes away and then maybe a week later the sore throat comes back again... Is this how the symptoms occur?

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Okay thanks... because right now all i have is two slightly swollen lymph nodes on the back of the left side of my neck and i think that they are swollen because i was constatnly touching and pushing on them a while ago and now i touch them from time to time.... so that might've made them swell...

It can take as much as a week or more for them to get back to normal, depending on how much you've irritated them. There is a good chance they were never swollen in the first place as glands near the surface of your skin can often be felt in their normal state. See your doctor about them if you continue to worry.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Alright thanks Ann... now I'll definately keep my hands off them and see what happens =]... I really apprecaite the great support that I got thanks... and now i think that I can move on with my life knowing that I didnt have a risk

We can cheerfully discuss what is and nit not lymph node swelling all day long. And of course, not only does stress cause them to swell, but so does poking at them to see if they are swollen. Hurts too, after a bit.

Thing is, you did not get HIv through a fingering episode. It would seem, however, that you contracted a major case of guilt. And please believe me, guilt and stress and anxiety can manifest themselves in some horrific ways. Lymph node swelling, night sweats, fever, weight loss, diarrhea, rashes. Stress can do ALL of that. And more.

I urge you to look outside the HIV "box" for the cause of, and the solution to, your situation.

Logged

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

For a few days my tongue had a white coating on it... I think that is called oral thrush... and i know that is one of the symptoms of HIv infection... so far thought all my sore throats or swollen lymph nodes and oral thrush all occured at diffeent times... I calmed myself down at first knowing that I didnt have HIv... but after a while i started to worry again...Do you think I really have HIV or am I just paranoid and relating every little thing that appears wrong on my body to HIV?

Once again, you did not have a risk of hiv infection through fingering. Not one person has ever been infected this way and you will not be the first.

Yes, I think you are relating every little thing going on with your body - incorrectly - with hiv. Go see your doctor or dentist about your tongue if it worries you. Whatever is going on, it won't be about hiv.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

They mean that if you cut off the top of your finger and stick the bleeding stump into a woman who is menstruating, you could theoretically become infected with HIV. However, it has never, ever been documented to happen.

HIV is overwhelmingly transmitted through unprotected anal and vaginal sex. If you use condoms for those activities, you will have protected yourself against HIV.

No one has ever gotten infected through fingering, and you will not be the first.

Logged

"Many people, especially in the gay community, turn to oral sex as a safer alternative in the age of AIDS. And with HIV rates rising, people need to remember that oral sex is safer sex. It's a reasonable alternative."

But out of curiosity... if a person has HIV and they get a regular bloodtest after lets say 2 months of having HIV will the bloodtest show up that the person has some abnormalities in their blood(HIV)? or will it not be able to tell that the person's blood is infected with HIV?